Education Secretary Betsy DeVos discusses teacher pay

I talked to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos about teacher pay, and how investing in enriching the lives of our teachers will pay dividends for our kids.

SECRETARY DEVOS: Well look, great teachers should be paid more than they’re paid today. There’s no question about that.

Part of the problem is most teachers today work in a system that is essentially a “one size fits all” system for teachers just as it's a “one size fits all” system for kids.

I've listened to many teachers talk about how they've become frustrated over the years because they can't, they can't break out of this one size fits all approach. They're treated similarly no matter how great they are as a teacher, and they're not given opportunities to become leaders of other teachers in the same way that that others in other professions have opportunities to grow and develop themselves. There's a lot about the way the system has grown up that does a disservice to teachers and does a disservice to kids.

I think a lot of states that have taken on the issue of compensating teachers based on the quality of their teaching and the achievement of their students, the growth of their students have made tremendous gains in their results because the more you free up teachers to do what they do best, the more students ultimately benefit and it's a symbiotic relationship.

Here’s the bottom line: Whether it’s healthcare or education, “one size fits all” approaches discourage innovation and do a disservice to the American people. By encouraging investment in both teachers AND students, the Trump administration is tackling teacher pay in a way that will hopefully do right by both.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Boris Epshteyn formerly served as a Senior Advisor to the Trump Campaign and served in the White House as Special Assistant to The President and Assistant Communications Director for Surrogate Operations.